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ANGRAU, Gunture-NewsletterANGRAU

E-mail : enewsletter.angrau@gmail.com Vol. 3 (2), 2019

Agriculture has themoral responsibility of meetingfood and nutritional security inconsonance with the agro-ecological backdrop.ANGRAU’s vision is totransform Andhra Pradesh intoa front-runner State in agriculturein India through development of new high yielding varieties,sustainable and economically viable technologies in thechanged climatic scenario. ANGRAU’s motto always isservice to the farmers through research and extension withdedication and diligence.On the academic front,ANGRAU colleges continuously aim to refine, modernize,and strengthen the teaching and learning environment inorder to produce competent graduates and postgraduates.ANGRAU has a policy of improving faculty competenceby encouraging teachers for higher studies within andoutside the University. Faculty members are alsoencouraged to attend workshops, seminars, summer/winterschools and other HRD programmes across India toupdate their knowledge and skills.As a part of IDP, a totalof 55 students are undergoing international trainings atOklahoma State University and Kansas State University,USA. Orientation workshop on ‘Student READY’ foraffiliated colleges was also organized. ‘Bee Keeping’certificate course was initiated by Open and DistanceLearning Centre (ODLC) along with other courses. Headsof all the centres including Administrative Officers and Asst.Comptrollers of ANGRAU have undergone refreshertraining on ‘Administrative and Financial Procedures’. Inthis quarter, ANGRAU hosted national level Annual GroupMeetings of AICRP on MULLaRP and Arid

From the Vice-Chancellor's Desk

(V. DAMODARA NAIDU)

legumes;Groundnut;Oilseeds (castor,sunflower, sesame and niger) andCotton. ZREACs met and finalizedresearch priorities of their respectivezones. State Level TechnicalProgrammes (SLTPs) of research andextension centres were organized andaction plans for Kharif and Rabi

seasons of 2019-20 were finalized. National symposiumon the “Choice of farming models for income security:towards equity and sustainability” was jointly organizedby ANGRAU and NABARD at Bapatla. NationalConference on “Challenges and Opportunities inagrinanotechnology” was jointly organized by ANGRAU&Society for Agri- Nano technology at Tirupati. KrishiVigyan Kendras of Rastakantubai, Undi, Reddipalliand Directorate of Extension participated in the FarmingSystem for Nutrition (FSN) workshop held at MSSRF,Chennai headed by Prof. M.S. Swaminathan aimed atfinalisation of components of farming systems, activitymatrix and preparation of training calendar for the year2019-20. The Journal of Research ANGRAU, anuniversity level publication (since 1973) is listed in UGC-CARE approved list of Journals. RKVY- RAFTAAR-ABI project is sanctioned to the university titled "ANGRAU- Agri innovations and EntreprenueurshipDevelopment Cell" with a total funding of Rs. 2.33 crores.Formation Day of ANGRAU (12th June) and 5th

International Yoga Day (21st June) were celebrated withfervor in all the centres.

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ANGRAU, Gunture-NewsletterANGRAU

ANGRAU publishes VyavasayaPanchangam (Farmers' Almanac) every yearthat covers updated package of practices of22 field crops and 13 timber crops in telugulanguage and the book is popular amongfarming community. Sri Mukesh KumarMeena, IAS, Principal Secretary, Dept. ofTourism, Language and Culture, Govt. of A.P.released the book VyavasyaPanchangam2019-20 on the occasion of Telugu New Year (Ugadi)celeberations held at Vijayawada on 06.4.2019. Dr.D. Bhaskara Rao, Registrar; Dr. P.Rambabu, Director ofExtension; Dr. S.R. Koteswara Rao, Dean of StudentAffairs; Dr.D.Balaguravaiah, Dean of P.G. Studies; Dr. L.Uma Devi, Dean of Home Science; Dr. N.V. Naidu,Director of Research; Dr. A. Subrahmanyeswara Rao,

Three day 24thAnnual Group Meet of AICRP onMULLaRP and Arid Legumes was jointly organized byICAR- Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur andAcharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University at RARS, LamAuditorium during 19th -21st May, 2019. Hon’ble Vice-President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu graced theoccasion as Chief Guest for inaugural session. Addressingthe gathering, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu emphasized the needfor a paradigm change in agricultural research that wouldutilize science and technology.He said that farmers in drylandareas are more likely to be affected by climate change andSAUs have to concentrate on the welfare of these farmers.The Vice-President also added that there is a need topromote arid legumes which have capacity to withstandclimate change and advised that alternative policies andinstitutional changes were also needed to improveproductivity of agricultural crops. Dr. V. Damodara Naidu,Hon’ble Vice- Chancellor, ANGRAU said that pulses aremainly cultivated under rainfed conditions in India and the

Farmers' Almanac2019-20 Released

Annual Group Meet of AICRP on MULLaRP and Arid LegumesAgricultural Universities have a bigger role to play in achieving national food security

- Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, Hon’ble Vice- President of India

main aim for research scientists is to increase theirproductivity on par with world productivity.Dr. D.K. Yadav,Asst.DirectorGeneral (Seeds), ICAR; Dr. N.P. Singh,Director, ICAR-IIPR; Dr. Sanjeev Gupta, ProjectCoordinator, IIPR;Dr. N.V. Naidu, Director of Research;University Officers, Associate Directors of Research, Lamand Head Quarters, delegates from all over the country,scientists and farmers participated in the meeting.

Comptroller; Dr. P.V. Narasimha Rao, Estate Officer;Dr. A. Siva Sankar, Controller of Examinations;Dr. M. Lakshminarayana, Member, Board ofManagement; Dr. B. Vijayabhinandana, University Head(Extension); Dr. T. Gopi Krishna, PS(Extension) & PRO(i/c) and Dr. P. Punna Rao, PAIO participated in UgadiCelebrations held at Vijayawada.

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ANGRAU, Gunture-NewsletterANGRAU

The Programme Coordinators and Subject MatterSpecialists of KVKs of Rastakanntubai, Undi, Reddipalliand Dr.B.Vijayabhinandana, Principal Scientist & UniversityHead (Agricultural Extension) from ANGRAU and scientistsfrom KVKs of Maharastra have participated in the two-day workshop on Farming System for Nutrition held at Prof.M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai during20th-21st June 2019 . The workshop aimed at finalisationof components of farming systems, activity matrix andpreparation of training calendar for the year 2019-20. Prof.M. S. Swaminathan, Founder Chairman, MSSRF in hisopening remarks indicated that green revolution thoughyielded food security but nutritional security became aproblem and the scientists looked for cropping system andnow there is a need to shift from cropping system to farmingsystem with a focus on nutrition to address malnutrition inthe country. The KVKs need to promote this concept bydemonstrating farming system for nutrition at their respectiveinstructional farms, he said. Dr. R.V. Bhavani, Director(i/c), Food Security Programme & Programme Manager,

The Two day Zonal Researchand Extension AdvisoryCouncil Meetings were held atRARS, Chintapalle (1st- 2nd

April, 2019); RARS,Anakapalle (3rd -4th, 2019);RARS, Lam (15th – 16th April,2019); RARS, Maruteru (17th - 18th April, 2019); ARSNellore (22nd-23rd, April, 2019) and RARS,Nandyala(24th- 25th April, 2019) for their respectivezones.All the ZREACs were attended by the Director ofResearch, Director of Extension and Principal Scientistsof various crops. Dr. N.V.Naidu, Director of Researchexplained that the main purpose of the meeting is to reviewdifferent agricultural problems, identifying research gapsand extension gaps for the zone as a whole and proposeproduction recommendations for major crops and finalizeresearch prioritiesfor ensuing Kharif and Rabi seasons.Dr. Naidu stated that sound action plan is required inresearch for development of varieties and technologiessuitable to various regions with simultaneous effort indiffusing profitable improved technologies throughExtension. He felt that mechanization is the need of thehour and designing of the machines suited to small holdings

Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia(LANSA), MSSRF and Dr.Gopinath, Senior Scientist,Agriculture, Nutrition and Health, MSSRF reviewed thedesign prepared by the KVKs for setting up ademonstration plot on Farming System and prepared activitymatrix in consultation with the KVKs. The workshop alsodecided to develop a short video film and posters on theconcept to popularise the FSN. All the KVKs wereadvocated to cover this topic in each and every trainingprogrammes conducted by the KVKs due to its importance.MSSRF is funding for the demonstrations at KVKs.

Workshop on Farming System for Nutrition at MSSRF, Chennai

ZREACs Meet to formulate Agri Action Plan 2019-20

is the crucial task for researchscientists.While addressing thegathering, Dr. P. Rambabu,Director of Extension said thatcost of cultivation of majorcrops has to be reduced andfarmers have to cultivate crops

that increase their income. Extension Scientists shall createawareness on high yielding improved varieties, he added.Later, Joint Directors of Agriculture from various districtspresented the crop conditions and problems faced in theirdistrict during 2018-19. Based on the group discussionson major crops with scientists, officials from AgricultureDepartment and progressive farmers, research andextension gaps were identified and action plans wereprepared for both Kharif and Rabi seasons of 2019-20.Dr. S.R. Koteswara Rao, Dean of Student Affairs andDean of Agriculture (FAC); Dr. L. Uma Devi, Dean ofHome Science; Dr. D. Balaguravaiah, Dean of P.G.Studies; Board Members of ANGRAU; AssociateDirectors of Research; Principal Scientists of major crops,Joint Directors of Agriculture and Project Directors ofATMA of respective districts participated in thesemeetings.

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ANGRAU, Gunture-NewsletterANGRAU

The Annual Action planworkshop of KVKs ofAndhra Pradesh for 2019-20 was jointly organized byANGRAU, Guntur andICAR- ATARI, Zone X,Hyderabad during 29th- 30th

April, 2019 at Lam, Guntur.Dr. B. Vijayabhinandana, Principal Scientist and UniversityHead (Agril. Extension) acted as Convener of theworkshop and Dr. P. Rambabu, Director of Extension,ANGRAU presided the meeting.The Chief Guest, Dr. V.Damodara Naidu, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, ANGRAU inhis address advised KVKs to carry out demonstrations onlarge scale. He also emphasized on conducting of fielddays 10-15 days before harvesting the demonstration plotsin convergence with other agencies. Further, he advocatedto conduct capacity building trainings to extensionfunctionaries in large numbers both at district and mandallevel focusing on latest technologies. Dr. Ravi KumarMathur, Director, ICAR-IIOPR, Pedavegi stated that twoimportant issues i.e. water use efficiency and water savingmethods shall be focused by KVK scientists.Dr. Y.G.Prasad, Director, ATARI, Zone X suggested the scientiststo effectively formulate the action plan and focus onprofitable technologies. He also added that in case of TSPvillages activities should be focused on income generation.

Three day Annual Group Meet ofAICRP on Castor, Sunflower,Sesame and Niger was jointlyorganized by ICAR- Indian Instituteof Oilseeds Research, Hyderabadand Acharya N.G.RangaAgricultural University at RARS,Tirupati during 2nd-4th May, 2019.Dr. N.V. Naidu, Director ofResearch, ANGRAU presided overthe meeting. Addressing thegathering, Dr.A.K.Singh, Deputy Director General (CropScience), ICAR, who was the Chief Guest said that themeeting would chalk out an action plan to fulfil the needsof farmers, breeders and stake holders. Researchers andscientists need to develop drought resistant oilseed varieties,he added. Dr. D.K. Yadav, Asst. Director General (Seeds),ICAR, Guest of Honour laid emphasis on enhancingcropping area and also improving genetic potential ofvarieites.Dr. V. Damodara Naidu, Hon’ble Vice- Chancellor,ANGRAU said that out of the total 60 lakh ha of cultivable

Annual Group Meet on Castor, Sunflower, Sesame and Niger

Annual Action Plan Workshop of KVKs of Andhra Pradesh

Dr. N.V. Naidu, Director ofResearch, ANGRAUspoke on the agriculturestatus of the A.P. andindicated that 38 lakh ha ofagriculture land is underrainfed conditions in thestate, hence, the

technologies should reach the rainfed farming areas. Dr.P. Rambabu, Director of Extension, ANGRAU gave a briefnote on work done 2018-19 activities related to the KVKsof ANGRAU. He informed that KVKs of ANGRAU areworking in convergence with allied sectors and differentorganizations such as SERP for the benefit of stake holders.The Programme Coordinators and Subject MatterSpecialists of 23 KVKs of A.P. presented the action planof their technical programme for 2019-20, highlighting theactivities of 2018-19.

Dr. L. Uma Devi, Dean of Home Science,ANGRAU; Dr. J. Dilip Babu, Director of Research andDr. R.V.S.K. Reddy, Director of Extension, Dr. Y.S.RHorticultural University; Dr. D. Sreenivasulu, Director ofExtension, Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University; Dr.J.V. Prasad Principal Scientist of ATARI, Zone X andAssociate Directors of Research of ANGRAU were thedignitaries present.

land in Andhra Pradesh, only onelakh ha is under castor, sunflower,sesame and niger cultivation.Dr.V. Praveen Rao, Vice-Chancellor, PJTSAU urged thescientists to re-look designing andconducting researches on oilseeds.Dr. A. Vishnuvardhan Reddy,Director, ICAR-IIOR, Hyderabadpresented research highlightsrelated to sunflower and castor for

the year 2018. Dr. Rajani Bisen, Project Coordinator(Sesame & Niger), JNKVV, Jabalpur, gave presentationon research highlights for the year 2018 w.r.t sesame andniger crops. Dr. Y.G. Prasad, Director, ATARI, Zone X;Dr. R. K. Mathur, Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of OilPalm Research, Pedavegi; Dr. K. Ponnuswamy, JointDirector, Directorate of Oilseeds Development, GoI,Hyderabad; Dr. P.Rajasekhar, ADR, RARS, Tirupati;scientists from various ICAR institutes and SAUsparticipated in the meet.

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ANGRAU, Gunture-NewsletterANGRAU

Review Meeting on Academic activities of PolytechnicsReview meeting on academicactivites and infrastructurefacilities for constituent (19No.) and affiliated Polytechnics(81 No.) was conducted during6th - 7th May 2019, at RARSAuditorium, Lam, Guntur. Dr. V.Damodara Naidu, Hon’bleVice-Chancellor, ANGRAUand Chief Guest in his address stated the managementof polytechnics to adhere strictly to the academiccurriculum and improve infrastructure facilities of theirrespective polytechnics.Dr. D.Bhaskara Rao, Registrar,in his message said that maintenance of discipline andstandards in Polytechnics as per Expression of Interest isa priority.Dr. S.R. Koteswara Rao, Dean of Agriculture(FAC) & Dean of Student Affairs spoke on the occasionand said that polytechnics were grouped into 12 clustersand each cluster was not only supervised by UniversityOfficials but also visited by Vice-Chancellor, UniversityOfficers and Cluster in-charges.Dr. K.Yella Reddy, Deanof Agricultural Engineering & Technologysaid that

State level TechnicalProgramme meetings ofresearch centres (disciplinewise) were organized[Agricultural Engineering &Te c h n o l o g y S t a t i s t i c s&Computer Applications andAgricultural Economics (29th to30th April, 2019); G&Pbr,Biotechnology, Seed Science & Technology;Minikits andSeed Production (7th May to 10th May); Agronomy (8th

to 10th May); Soil Science &Agril Chemistry, BioChemistry, Microbiology and Nano technology (13th to15th May);Entomology (14th to 16th May); PlantPathology (16th to 18th May) and Crop Physiology (22nd

to 23rd May)] at Guntur. Dr. V. Damodara Naidu, Hon’bleVice- Chancellor, ANGRAU and Dr. N.V. Naidu,Director of Research have attended the SLTP meetingsof all disciplines. In his address, Hon’ble V-C directed

the research scientists toupload the data collected fromfields in ARMS portal fromtime to time. The suggestionsgiven to farmers duringdiagnostic visits should bepublished in print andelectronic media regularly forwider reach, he added.

Dr. N.V. Naidu suggested the rice breeders to developshort duration rice varieties. Agronomy Scientists shouldwork on the important emerging areas such as croppingsystems research, NRM, cost reductiontechnologies,WUE/NUE, conservation agriculture,mechanization, climate resilient technologies, droughtproofing , doubling farm income, poly cropping etc.Scientists of Agricultural Research Stations and RegionalAgricultural Research Stations had presented their workdone report of 2018-19 and action plan for 2019-20.

SLTP Meetings on Research Agenda for 2019-20

parameters for development ofpolytechnics are good staff anddiscipline in the students. Regularmonitoring and reviewing coupledwith open discussions will help inthat direction to meet requiredstandards. Dr.N.V. Naidu, Directorof Research said that Polytechnicsis an opportunity to extend

Agricultural education to rural students and in allpolytechnicsinstructional farm to be well maintained andlaboratory facilities must be good. Dr.A.Siva Shankar,Controller of Examinations, said that now examinationevaluation of students is centralised and is being handledand monitored by University. University scientists arehelping in this direction and results will be timely given, headded. Dr. K.Balaguravaiah, Dean P.G. studies; Dr.P.Rambabu, Director of Extension;ADRs of RARS,Anakapalle,Nandyala and Lam; Principals of allpolytechincs, Dr.B. Mukunda Rao, Professor(Polytechnic) and Dr.T. Srinivas, Professor (Academic)participated in the discussion.

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ANGRAU, Gunture-NewsletterANGRAU

SLTP Meeting of Extension Centres

Orientation Workshop on Student READY for Affiliated Colleges

One day Orientationworkshop for affiliatedAgricultural Colleges onStudent READY programmewas organised on 02.5.2019at APGC Seminar Hall, Lam,Guntur presided by Dr. S.R.Koteswara Rao, Dean ofAgriculture (FAC) & Dean of Student Affairs,ANGRAU. The other dignitaries who participatedinclude Dr.K.Balaguraviah, Dean P.G.Studies; Dr. D.Bhaskara Rao, Registrar; Dr.P. Rambabu, Director ofExtension; Dr.A. SivaShankar, Controller ofExaminations. The Registrar addressed the gathering andsaid that ICAR guidelines shall be carefully understoodand implemented by the colleges. In his address,Dr. S.R. Koteswara Rao stated that affiliated colleges

have to adopt year longStudent READY programme inthe seventh semester of theB.Sc(Ag) programme. Hementioned that all the threecomponents of StudentREADY – RAWEP (14 credits/14 weeks), Internship (6

credits/6 weeks) and Experiential Learning Programme(20 credits/ 20 weeks) must be implemented by allcolleges for their students, so as to developentrepreneurial skills, mindset and build confidencetowards enterprises. Associate Deans of Six affiliatedcolleges of ANGRAU; Dr T. Srinivas,Professor(Academic), Administrative Office, Guntur;Associate Dean, Agricultural College, Bapatla,Associate Dean, Agricultural College Tirupatiparticipated in the workshop.

The State level Technical Programme meeting ofDAATTCs, KVKs, Extension Units of RARSs/ARS andAI&CC was organized at Auditorium, RARS, Lam, Gunturon 8th -9th May, 2019. Dr. V. Damodara Naidu, Hon’bleVice-Chancellor, ANGRAU in his address mentioned aboutthe need for organizing more number of Field days withthe participation of more number of farmers and linedepartments for motivating the farmers to adopt improvedtechnologies. He also indicated that they need to focus onSoil test based fertilizer application, Integrated pestmanagement, integrated nutrient management, integratedfarming system, cost reduction technologies, waterharvesting, water conservation measures etc. He alsoindicated that Anantapuramu district soils doesn’t requirephosphorous fertilizer application and the farmers need tobe educated and,thereby, the cost of production would bereduced. Further, he highlighted the importance of impartingthe training to the MPEOs on critical interventions, diagnosisof pests, diseases and nutritional disorders, post harvestmanagement and value addition. Dr. N.V. Naidu, Directorof Research told the extension scientists to focus on drylandagriculture technologies to benefit the farmers in rainfedareas and requested them to promote cultivation of milletcrops. Dr. P. Rambabu, Director of Extension, whopresided over the meeting said in his address that theextension centres had conducted 220 minikit trials, 99 OFTsat 263 locations, 110 FLDs in 220 locations, 65 field days,234 capacity building programmes, 249 group discussions,176 method demonstrations, 38 exposure visits and 32

rythusadassus during 2018-19. He also added that ReachEvery Panchayat, ANGRAU’s collaboration with SERP,Radio and TV Programmes, publications such asVyavasaya Panchangam, Vyavasayam,etc were takenup and reached large number of farmers.Dr. D. Balaguravaiah, Dean of P.G. Studies; Dr. S.R.Koteswara Rao, Dean of Agriculture (FAC), Dr. B.Vijayabhinandana, Principal Scientist & University Head(Agril. Extension); Subject experts Dr. L..G. Giri Rao andDr. P. Gidda Reddy; former Directors of Extension,Principal Scientists of Crops and other disciplines;Associate Directors of Research, ProgrammeCoordinators of KVKs and all scientists of DAATTCs,Extension Specialists, Principal Agricultural InformationOfficer & Scientists of AI&CC attended the meeting.Scientists of DAATTCs, KVKs, Extension Units andAI&CC presented their work done during 2018-19 andaction plan for 2019-20. Professor and Heads ofDepartment of Agricultural Extension of AgriculturalColleges of Bapatla and Tirupati presented the postgraduate students research proposals.

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ANGRAU, Gunture-NewsletterANGRAU

Five months certificate course on Bee Keeping offeredthrough Open & Distance Learning Centre (ODLC),ANGRAU was started on 10th May, 2019 at five centresviz., ODLC, Guntur; KVK, Undi; KVK, Nellore; KVK,Rastakuntubai and KVK, Banavasi. A total of 60 rural youthenrolled in the certificate course at the five centres.The first phase of contact classes were conducted on24.5.2019 at ODLC, Guntur for 15 farmers of Gunturdistrict. Sri Naveen Kumar, Master trainer and Agricultureentrepreneur and Sri Radha Krishna, Apicultureentrepreneur were the resource persons who oriented theparticipants on various aspects of bee keeping andpractically demonstrated bee keeping process, bee varieties,products, bee rearing, equipment, bee hive management,honey extraction and honey benefits, etc. The entrepreneurs

and explained techniques of reducing the cost of productionin cotton including mechanization. He also focused onintroducing drip irrigation in cotton to realise more yields.Dr. R.K. Singh, ADG(CC), ICAR particpated as guest ofhonour. Dr. A.H. Prakash, Project Coordinator, AICRP onCotton, Coimbatore presented the research highlights andfollowed by special address of Dr. V.N. Waghmare, Director,ICAR-CICR, Nagpur. The technical programmes of cropimprovement, crop production, cropprotection werethoroughly discussed and finalized. Further, results of FLDswere finalized for 2019-20. Central Varieties IdentifyingCommittee scrutinized the proposals for release of Bt andnon Bt varieties and hybrids. Dr. N.V. Naidu, Director ofResearch; Dr. V. Satyanarayana Rao, ADR, RARS, Guntur;Dr. S. RatnaKumari, Principal Scientist (Cotton) coordinatedthe meeting. The meeting was attended by delegates from22 cotton research centres located in South and Central India.

ODLC Bee Keeping Certificate Course

also explained the economics and Return on Investment(RoI) and motivated the group to start the enterprise withone or two boxes initially. Similar programme was alsoorganized at the other four centres.

A two day Refresher training programmeon “Administrative and FinancialProcedures” was organized by theDirectorate of Extension during 28th -29th

May, 2019 at RARS, Auditorium, Lam,Guntur. The training was inaugurated byDr. V. Damodara Naidu, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, ANGRAU and particpated asChief Guest for inaugural session.Dr. A.S. Rao, Comptroller; Dr. D.Bhasakara Rao, Registrar and Dr. P. Rambabu, Director ofExtension presided the inaugural function. In his address,Dr. V. Damodara Naidu asked the participants to make useof the resource persons by clarifying the doubts theyencounter in day to day financial and administrative works,to work effectively. The topics of the training included dutiesand responsibilities of drawing and disbursing officers, A.P

TA and leave rules, CCA rules,maintenance of cash books, replies to auditobjections, maintenance of stores,Comprehensive Financial ManagementSystem (CFMS), Farm management andRTI Associate Directors of Research;Associate Deans of all colleges;Programme Coordinators of KVKs;Coordinators of DAATTCs(Vizianagaram, Peddapuram and Guntur);Special Officer of APGC, PAIO, AI&CC,

Heads of Research Stations including GTC; AdministrativeOfficers of Colleges and RARSs; Assistant Comptrollersand Asst. Registrars had undergone the training. The resourcepersons were selected from from State Audit department.Dr. B. Vijayabhinandana, PS & University Head (Extension)and Dr. T. Gopi Krishna, PS (Extension) were the coursedirectors.

Refresher Training Programme on ' Administrative and Financial Procedures'

Annual Group meet of AICRP on Cotton (south and centralzone) was jointly organized by ICAR and ANGRAU atRARS, Lam, Gunturduring 30thto 31st May, 2019.Dr. V. Damodara Naidu, Hon’ble Vice-chancellor, ANGRAUchaired the inaugural session and called upon the cottonscientists to develop short duration cottonvarieties.Dr.C.D.Mayee, Former Chairman, AgriculturalScientists Recruitment Board(ASRB)spoke on the occasion

Annual Group Meet of AICRP on Cotton

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ANGRAU, Gunture-NewsletterANGRAU

The ICAR-Agricultural TechnologyApplication Research Institute,Hyderabad organized a three-day“Annual Zonal Review Workshop of71 KVKs in Zone-X (AndhraPradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu &Puducherry)” at ICAR-NationalAcademy of Agricultural ResearchManagement, Hyderabad during 24th to 26th May,2019.The Workshop was inaugurated by Dr. A.K. Singh,DDG (Agricultural Extension), ICAR. In his address,Dr.A.K.Singh urged the KVKs to focus on theentrepreneurship development through the establishmentof processing and value-addition enterprises by theproducer organizations, integrated farming system models,etc.Dr. Randhir Singh, ADG (AE), ICAR outlined the ICAR’sAgricultural Extension Division’s new initiatives. TheADG (AE) launched the network project on NewExtension Methodologies and Approaches (NEMA)involving 11 ATARIs and 6 ICAR Research Institutes onthe occasion.Dr. Y.G. Prasad, Director, ATARI,

Directorate of Groundnut Research, Junagadh and AcharyaN.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Guntur jointly organizedthree day annual workshop on Groundnut at AndhraUniversity Auditorium, Visakhapatnam during 25th- 27th,May, 2019. In his inaugural address, Dr. V. DamodaraNaidu, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, ANGRAU, expressedconcern on the recurring crop failures in Anantapur districtdue to the vagaries of monsoon and urged the scientists todevelop varieties exclusively suitable to the district. Dr.S.K.Jha, Assistant Director General (Oilseeds and Pulses),ICAR has highlighted the need for a campaign to reducethe per capita consumption of edible oil and the scientistshould work towards enhancing the productivity of the oilseed crops so as to meet the increasing demand of oil seedsand to reduce the import. Dr. A. Vishnuvardhan Reddy,Director, ICAR-IIOR and Guest of Honour, highlighted theneed for enhancing the productivity of the oilseeds to addressthe increasing import of edible oil. The need for expandingthe crop to non-traditional areas was also emphasized. Inhis address, the Guest of Honour, Dr. D.K. Agarwal,Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Seed Science, MAU,U.P. accentuated the need to rationalize the seed conversionsystem and urged for taking up more seed productionprogrammes.Special Guest Dr. Rajeev K. Varshney,Director, Centre of Excellence in Genomics & Systems

Annual Zonal Review Workshop of KVKs

Annual Group Meet of AICRP on Groundnut

Hyderabad presented the AnnualProgress Report for the year 2018-19 of the KVKs in Zone-X. Hehighlighted the achievements onassessment of 714 technologiesand bridging of yield gaps in pulses& oilseed crops through the clusterfrontline demonstrations.

Dr. Ch. Srinivasa Rao, Director, ICAR-NAARMapplauded the KVKs’ contribution to develop theclimate-resilient villages under the NICRAproject.During the Valedictory Session, Dr. V. PraveenRao, Vice-Chancellor, PJTSAU conferred the certificatesof appreciation to the performing KVKs. KVK,Rastakuntubai received awards for first rank at All Indialevel in KKA- 2 implementation and Best Fact sheet.KVK, Garikapadu received award for best performancein CFLD(oilseeds) project and Best Fact sheet. KVK,Darsi, KVK Undi and KVK, Banavasi received bestoral presentation awards. Dr. P. Rambabu, Director ofExtension, ANGRAU and Dr. B. Vijayabhinandana,University Head (Agril. Extension) participated in themeeting.

Biology, ICRISAT has informed that the genome sequencesand annotations for the cultivated groundnut are nowavailable and the platform is ready to take up genomeassisted breeding and groundnut breeding should gear upfor that. Dr. T. Radhakrishnan, Director, ICAR-DGR,Junagadh presented Research Highlights of work done bydifferent centres of the scheme. Dr. N.V. Naidu, Directorof Research, ANGRAU, had emphasized the need fordrought tolerant varieties and mechanization in droughtprone areas of Andhra Pradesh.Publications 'ConservationAgriculture' and 'Groundnut Research at ANGRAU' werereleased during the group meet.About 100 scientists from AICRP Groundnut Centres,ICAR institutes, SAUs and other Research & Developmentorganizations participated.

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ANGRAU, Gunture-NewsletterANGRAU

ANGRAU was sanctioned with Institutional DevelopmentPlan (IDP) under NAHEP. As a part of IDP, a total of 55undergraduate students of ANGRAU were selected forinternational trainings at Oklahoma State University(OSU), Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA and Kansas StateUniversity (KSU), Manhattan, Kansas, USA, for thefirst time, since inception of the university. The OSU ishosting 25 students for 4-8 week period offeringprogrammes on Entrepreneurship, skill development andinternational experience in Agriculture and 30 studentsare undergoing internships at KSU of U.S.A. A pre-trainingon “An Overview of Oklahoma State University andKansas State University” has been arranged through theinteraction meeting of 55 selected students withDr.P. V.Vara Prasad, Director, Sustainable IntensificationInnovation Lab, Kansas State University at APGCSeminar Hall, Guntur on 20.04.19 for which Dr. V.Damodara Naidu, Vice-Chancellor; Dr. S. R.KoteswaraRao, Dean of Agriculture (FAC); Dr. T. Srinivas, Professor(Academic & Education); Dr. T. V. Sridhar, AssociateProfessor (Academic) and Dr. K. Uma Devi, AssistantProfessor (IDP); Dr. A. Mani, Associate Dean & FacultyCoordinator, Dr. N. T. R. College of Agril. Engineering,Bapatla and Dr. M. Suresh Kumar, Professor& Faculty

International Trainings to Students under IDP

Coordinator, Agricultural College, Naira attended themeeting.The host universities are arranging trainings in the areasof Precision Agriculture, Robotics, Biosystems, SoilPhysics, Climate Change, Business Foundations,Communications and Marketing, Ethics and Leadership,Capital management and arranging visits to technologycenters, weather center and also research institutes. Thetrainings and internships will give students exposure toworld class universities and also provide first-handknowledge and enriching experience in various aspectsof Agricultural Sciences and Agricultural Engineering &Technology raising their prospects for future employabilityin India. The training programme at Oklahoma StateUniversity started from 2nd June, while, programme atKansas State University started from 20th June, 2019.

Academic Council Meeting heldANGRAU organized 102nd Academic Council Meetingon 19.6.2019 at Lam, Guntur and Dr. V. DamodaraNaidu, V-C, ANGRAU chaired the meeting. In hisaddress, V-C said that a committee was constitutedfor uniform dress code of students and ICAR – AIEEAranks will be taken into consideration for P.G. and Ph.D.admissions. Infrastructure creation is at a faster paceto increase university ranking, he added. The decisionstaken in faculty board meeting held on 18.6.2019 wereapproved by Academic Council. Dr. K. Ramaswamy,Former Vice- Chancellor, TNAU; Dr. D. BhaskaraRao, Registrar; Dr. S.R. Koteswara Rao, Dean ofAgriculture; Dr. K.Balaguravaiah, Dean of P.G. Studies;Dr. K. Yella Reddy, Dean of Agricultural Engineering& Technology; Dr. L. Uma Devi, Dean of HomeScience; Dr. A. Sivasankar, Controller of Examinations;Sri K. Selvaraj, Chief General Manager, NABARDRegional Office; invited principals of affiliatedAgricultural Colleges and members of the councilparticpated in the meeting.

Alumni Portal LaunchedAcharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University in its 54 years ofjourney has a big strength of Alumni and has a remarkable impacton the society at national and international level. As a part ofIDP project, the alumni portal was designed and developed toserve as digital platform for faster networking. Alumni portalwas launched by Hon’ble Vice- Chancellor Dr. V. DamodaraNaidu on 19.6.2019 during 102nd academic council meeting.The alumni can register in the portal available at websitewww.angraualumni.com

RKVY- Agribusiness Incubatorsanctioned to ANGRAU

RKVY- RAFTAAR- ABI scheme project titled "ANGRAU- Agri innovations and Entrepreneur DevelopmentCell " with a total funding of 2.23 Crores was sanctioned toANGRAU. Dr. K. Mohan, Scientist (Agril. Extension),RARS, Tirupati is the PI and Dr. K. Viswanath, Scientist(Plant Pathology), RARS, Tirupati is Co- PI. The Projectwill be coordinated by Dr. P. Rajasekhar, ADR, RARS,Tirupati. The project is initially funded upto March 2020.Orientation meeting of the Project was held on 24th June,2019 at Lam, Guntur. Logos and website were launcedduring the bi-monthly meeting.

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ANGRAU, Gunture-NewsletterANGRAU

International Yoga Day is celebrated annually on 21stJune since2015. All teaching, research and extension centres ofANGRAU have organized 5th International Yoga Day on21.6.2019. University Officers, teaching staff, non-teachingstaff and students participated in the celebrations.Dr. V. Damodara Naidu, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor particpatedin the event at Administrative Office, Lam, Guntur as ChiefGuest. In his address, Dr. V. Damodara Naidu said thatpracticing yoga every day coupled with balanced diet wouldhelp people to maintain balanced mind and healthy life.Dr. K. AbbaiahChowdary, Retired Principal Scientist ofANGRAU and Author of the “Samanvaya Yogabhasyam”Book along with Sri Kondal Reddy, Patanjali Yoga Centre,Guntur demonstrated few Yogasanas for practicing by theparticipants from 7.00 am to 8.30 am. All the staff practicedtheasanas andimportance of the asanas were explainedsimultaneously. Staff took pledge to practiceYoga every dayas an integral part of daily life.

International Yoga Day Celebrations

Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University was established on12thJune, 1964 through the APAU Act 1963. It was formallyinaugurated on 20th March, 1965 by Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri,the then Prime Minister of India. The 55th Formation Day ofANGRAU was celebrated on 12th June, 2019 withenthusiasm by all units of ANGRAU. All teaching and non-teaching staff and University Officers particpated in thecelebrations and garlanded the statue of Acharya N.G. Rangaat Administrative Office, Guntur. Dr. D. Bhasakara Rao,Registrar, ANGRAU addressed the gathering and spoke onthe milestones achieved by ANGRAU in its journey.ANGRAU Students who are undergoing international trainingat Oklahoma State University, U.S.A also celebrated 55th

formation day and Dr.A. Mani, Faculty Coordinator &Associate Dean participated in the celebrations.

ANGRAU Formation Day Celebrations

National Symposium on the Choice of Farming Models for Income SecurityTwo day National symposium was jointly organized byANGRAU, NABARD and APHRD during 21st -22nd

June, 2019. Chief Guest Sri. D. Chakrapani, IAS, DirectorGeneral, APHRD, Bapatla spoke on the occasion andemphasized the potential of corporatization of agriculturein stabilizing the farmers income. Improvement ofmarketing, processing, networking of citizen services arethe suitable ways for achieving agricultural development,he said. Dr. M. Malakondaiah Former DGP, A.P &Alumnus of Agricultural College emphasized on theinvestment potential of private sector in agriculture andopined that technology and innovations should be the key

drivers of future agricultural development. Sri ManojRanjan, Special Secretary, Govt. of Karnataka (FoodProcessing & Harvesting Technology) advised farmers tofully utilize e- NAM for marketing their produce.Dr. S. R. Koteswara Rao, Dean of Agriculture (FAC)encouraged the conduct of this sort of symposiums andother expert interactions. Dr. K.P.C Rao, Retd. PrincipalScientist, ICRISAT; Sri. B. Ramesh Babu, DGM, APRO,NABARD, Hyderabad; Dr. G.V. Ramanjaneyulu,Director, CSA, Hyderabad and Dr. D. Subba Rao,NABARD Chair Professor and Organizing Secretary,Bapatla participated.

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ANGRAU, Gunture-NewsletterANGRAU

National Conference on Nano- Technology in Agriculture

Third Annual National Conference on“Challenges and Opportunities inAgri-Nanotechnology” was jointlyorganized by ANGRAU and Societyfor Agri- Nano-Technology,Triupatiduring 13th -14th June, 2019at RARS, Tirupati. The conferencereceived 100 papers on synthesis andcharacterization techniquesdeveloped for nano materials, nanoscale nutrients foragricultural applications, food packaging, diseasemechanisms and regenerative medicine, and nano toxicity.Dr. P.K. Agrawal, Vice-Chancellor, Odisha Universityof Agriculture and Technology and Chief Guestinaugurated the conference and said that Nanotechnologycould benefit farmers, the economy and help preventdamage to the environment. Use of Nano Technology infarm fields is in research stage and will be implemented in

near future, he added. SriVenkateswara Veterinary University( S V V U ) V i c e - C h a n c e l l o rDr. Y. Hari Babu spoke on veterinaryapplications of nano technology andmentioned that use of nano technologyin cattle treatment is in preliminarystage. Dr. N.V. Naidu, Director ofResearch, ANGRAU called upon the

scientists to use nano technology extensively inagriculture research for better results. On the occasion,Dr. Naidu explained the nanotechnology research ingroundnut through PPT. Scientists can make bioethanoleasily by using nano technology, he added. SriPrashanthBabu, AGM, NABARD; Dr. P. Rajasekhar,ADR, RARS, Tirupati, Dr. TNVKV Prasad, OrganizingSecretary and the researchers across the countryparticipated in the conference.

Review Meeting on ‘crop diagnostic bulletins contentfinalization’ was held at APGC, Lam, Guntur on26.6.2019. Dr. N.V. Naidu, Director of Research andDr. P. Rambabu, Director of Extension were the dignitariesthat participated in the meeting. Director of Researchstated that crop diagnostic bulletins will be published inthis Kharif season and they will be helpful to the farmersand field extension functionaries in identifying pests anddiseases. Dr. Rambabu told that bulletins are preparedinitially for five crops namely Rice, Cotton, Pulses (Blackgram and Green gram), groundnut and sugarcane. Group

Review Meeting on Crop Diagnostic Bulletinscoordinators identified for the five crops (Dr. C.V. RamaRao for Rice; Dr. N.V.V. Durga Prasad for Cotton; Dr.M. Adinarayana for Pulses; Dr. T. Muralikrishna forGroundnut and Dr. K. Krishnamma for Sugarcane)brainstormed on the content of bulletins with their teamsand submitted final content.Dr. B. Vijayabhinandana,Principal Scientist & University Head (Agril. Extension)and Dr. T. Gopi Krishna, PS (Extension) gave fewsuggestions on the occasion.Dr.P.Punna Rao, PrincipalAgricultural Information Officer and Dr. O. Sarada, SeniorScientist, AI&CC coordinated the meeting.

Mobile Apps developedMobile app named “Fertilizer Calculator” was developedby KVK Banavasi in English and Telugu. The app coverscomplete nutrient management of 21 major agricultural cropsand two vegetable crops chilli and onion. First part of appcovers recommended dose fertilizers for Andhra Pradeshin absence of soil test results and the second part coverssoil test based fertilizer application in different combinationsbased on interpretation of soil test values available withfarmers in their soil health cards. The users can alsodownload results in the PDF format.Mobile App named ' Vyavasaya Vathavarana Suchanalu'was developed by AICRP on Agrometerology, ARS,Ananthapuramu for faster dissemination of weather forcast

and agromet advisiories. The App provides information onday to day weather, weather forecast, agromet advisories,alerts on extreme weather events, archives of weather datafor all the districts of Andhra Pradesh. Menus are providedin both English and Telugu. There is also an option for theusers to ask queries on weather and agriculture.Mobile App named 'ANGRAU Sugarcane Cultivation' wasdeveloped by RARS, Anakapalle unit in Telugu language.The app can also be accessed offline and providesinformation on package of practices of sugracane;productivity improvement ; cost reduction aspects and valueaddition to sugarcane. All the three apps can bedownloaded from google play store free of cost.

12April-June, 2019

ANGRAU, Gunture-NewsletterANGRAU

Editor : Dr. P. Punna Rao, Scientist-Incharge : Dr. A. LalithaPublished by : Principal Agricultural Information Officer, Agricultural Information and Communication

Centre on behalf of Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Lam, Guntur - 522 034E-mail: enewsletter.angrau@gmail.com

Dr. K. Yella Reddy, Dean of Agricultural Engineering &Technology, ANGRAU who is also the Vice -Presidentof the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage(ICID) has attended as Resource Person for YoungProfessional Training Programme on “ Climate ResilientSmart Irrigation Systems” and International ProfessionalsWorkshop on “Irrigation technologies to Mitigate ClimateChange” organized by Korea National Committee onIrrigation and Drainage (KCID) during 22nd -27th April,2019 at International Education Centre, Ansan, GyeonggiProvince, Republic of South Korea. During the trainingprogramme and workshop, Dr. Reddy also trained YoungProfessionals on “Micro Irrigation for Improved Land andWater Productivity - Indian Experiences”.

The Australian Water School hosted the webinar“Building farm level water capacities in irrigation watermanagement” on 26.6.2019 during 8.30 A.M to 10.30A.M IST chaired by Dr. Trevor Pillar of AWS.Dr. K. Yella Reddy, Dean of Agricultural Engineering &Technology and Vice- President, ICID, New Delhi wasthe Expert Presenter who participated from his Office atANGRAU, Guntur, India. In the webinar, Dr. K.YellaReddy discussed the urgent need to improve water

Australian Water School Webinar

Abroad Visit

resources management and water productivity across allcommercial sectors. Dr. Reddy highlighted increasingagricultural water use efficiency as one of the top prioritiesof countries to cope with increased climate variability,drought and water scarcity. India is an example countryaiming to achieve sustainability in water resourcesdevelopment and management, through its National WaterPolicies, Dr. Reddy stated in the webinar.

The Journal of Research ANGRAU in UGC-CARE approved List of JournalsUGC-CARE (Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics) was set up in November, 2018 and UGC-CARE hasupdated approved list of Journals w.e.f 14.6.2019. The Journal of Research ANGRAU (published since 1973) islisted in the UGC-CARE approved list of Journals. For more details visit the website: https://www.ugc.in/journallist

Dr. Ch. Pulla Rao, Professor & Head (Agronomy) workingat Agricultural College, Bapatla retired from his serviceson 30.4.2019.He served the University for 36 years invarious capacities and worked at viz.,Anakapalle,Vizianagaram, Venkataramannagudem, research stationsand colleges of Naira and Bapatla.Dr.S.V.S. Gangadhara Rao, Principal Scientist (G&Pbr)working at Agricultural Research Station, Yelamanchiliretired from his services on 31.5.2019.He has served theUniversity for 36 years in various capacities and workedat places viz., Anakapalle, Peddapuram and Yelamanchili.Dr. N.V. Naidu, Director of Research working atAdministrative Office, Guntur retired from his services on

Superannuation

Four Scientists of ANGRAU – Dr. M. Sunil Kumar &Dr. P.V. Geetha Sireesha, GTC, Lam; Dr. K.M. VishnuVardhan, ARS, Vijayarai and Dr. U. Vineetha, ARS,Nellore have received the ‘Oryza’ training programme(V3 model) during 22nd – 26th April, 2019 at IRRI,Philippines.The overall goal of this training program is tofamiliarize participants with the basic functionalities andstructure of the ORYZA (V3) model, the minimum datarequirement, experimental data collection for ORYZAmodel evaluation, the calibration of parameters, and theuse ORYZA on your own dataset. Dr. P.V. GeethaSireesha also attended the training programme on“MAPScape Rice Software”during 29th April- 3rd May,2019 at IRRI, Philippines.

30.6.2019. He has served the University for 36 years invarious capacities and worked at places viz.,Perumallapalle, Tirupati, Anakapalle, Hyderabad andGuntur.Dr. P. Israel,Principal Scientist (Agricultural Extension)working at Agricultural College, Rajamahendravaramretired from his services on 30.6.2019. He has served theUniversity for 33 years in various capacities and workedat places viz.,Kovvur, Visakhapatnam, Kakinada,Anakapalle, Undi, Maruteru and Rajamahendravaram.Dr. Y. Ashoka Rani, Professor (Crop Physiology) &Headworking at Agricultural College, Bapatla retired fromher services on 31.5.2019. She served the University for36 years in various capacities and worked at Agriculturalcolleges of Naira and Bapatla.